Diesel Mechanics Seek Trump Pardons as DOJ Ends Criminal Prosecution of Clean Air Act Defeat Device Cases
According to Politico, a group of diesel mechanics and shop owners convicted of Clean Air Act violations for installing or facilitating emissions defeat devices are actively pursuing presidential pardons from Donald Trump, following the successful clemency granted to Wyoming mechanic Troy Lake last November.
The campaign is being organized by Wyoming political consultant Jeff Daugherty and Colorado attorney Stewart Cables, who have taken on nine clients and argue that many of the convictions resulted from an overly aggressive application of criminal penalties to mechanics who believed they were performing legitimate repair work.
Trump’s acting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche ended all criminal prosecution related to defeat devices earlier this year, agreeing with the legal theory that tampering with vehicle emissions controls can only be prosecuted civilly under the Clean Air Act, not criminally. However, that policy shift does nothing for individuals already convicted.
Trump himself referenced the Lake pardon at an agricultural roundtable in Wisconsin, framing it as defending mechanics “fixing their tractor or truck” — though Lake had in fact disabled emissions monitoring on more than 300 commercial diesel trucks and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act.
Among those seeking pardons are Ryan LaLone of Michigan, sentenced in 2024 to probation and a $750,000 fine for reprogramming emissions controls on heavy-duty diesel trucks including state-owned vehicles; Matt Geouge of North Carolina, sentenced to a year and a day in prison plus $1.3 million in penalties for selling over 14,000 defeat devices; and Mackenzie “Mac” Spurlock of Alaska, who received five years’ probation and a $32,000 fine after pleading guilty to tampering with nine trucks — and who is seeking a pardon specifically to reenlist in the Air Force.
EPA’s criminal enforcement against defeat devices intensified after the 2015 Volkswagen diesel cheating scandal, when the agency added defeat devices to its enforcement priorities list under Trump’s first term. Critics, including former DOJ environmental attorneys, argue that applying criminal penalties designed for stationary sources like power plants to vehicle mechanics was a “creative reinterpretation” of the Clean Air Act statute.
EPA reported the earlier enforcement initiative produced $33 million in penalties and reduced over 500,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxide emissions. The agency is now developing new modelling to help states account for illegal tampering emissions in their regulatory compliance plans, even as criminal prosecutions have ended.
What It Means for Subcontractors
The end of federal criminal defeat device prosecutions and the pardon wave signal a meaningful shift in compliance risk for fleet-heavy field service operators:
- Diesel fleet operators — oilfield truckers, equipment haulers, and construction companies running large diesel fleets — should note that civil enforcement of Clean Air Act tampering provisions remains active even as criminal prosecution has ended. The financial exposure from civil fines remains real: $1.3 million penalty in the Geouge case, $750,000 in the LaLone case
- Fleet maintenance managers should review existing service contracts with diesel shops. If emissions control systems have been modified or deletion software installed, civil liability attaches to the vehicle owner as well as the shop in some cases
- Equipment operators whose trucks were serviced during the 2019-2025 enforcement period when deletion was most aggressively pursued should document service records in case civil investigations continue under EPA’s new modelling framework
- Contractors bidding federal and state government work should be aware that fleet emissions compliance is increasingly part of project pre-qualification requirements — a fleet with defeat devices installed creates compliance risk beyond EPA enforcement, extending to contract eligibility
- Diesel mechanics who currently operate shops or work as independent technicians should confirm their service practices align with current EPA emissions regulations, as civil penalties remain available even after criminal prosecution ends
The pardon campaign is expected to continue as Trump reportedly considers issuing 250 additional pardons around the US semiquincentennial this summer, with advocates pushing to include additional Clean Air Act convicts in any batch.
